EDMONTON, AB - SEPTEMBER 07: Ray Borg holds an open workout session for fans and media at Rogers Place on September 7, 2017 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Ray Borg announces he’s moving to bantamweight divison
Former flyweight title challenger Ray Borg is moving up. In an interview on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, Borg announced he’s moving up to the bantamweight division (135) which also comes at the time where there is plenty of talk about the UFC getting rid of the flyweight division.
Ray Borg tells @arielhelwani he'll be fighting at 135lbs moving forward.https://t.co/oh11yz7lR6
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) November 19, 2018
The move to bantamweight is just one of many challenges that Borg has had to battle through this year. In April 2018, Borg was injured when former lightweight champion Conor McGregor attacked the bus he was on with current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor’s bus attack forced Borg’s fight against Brandon Moreno to be pulled from the 223 card, after Borg suffered an eye injury due to broken glass.
Borg would encounter more bad luck inside the Octagon as he was once again forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight at UFC Denver in November, against Joseph Benavidez. The reported injury for Borg was cited as “medical issues” and while he was planning to make a statement about his injury, more personal matters came about once again.
Baby Borg update. pic.twitter.com/FdXGvelSIw
— Ray Borg (@tazmexufc) November 16, 2018
Not only has Borg had bad luck with his fighting career, his family is going through incredibly tough times as their infant son has gone through several brain surgeries. Borg’s son has gone undergone several surgeries for hyrdocephalus which is a neurological condition where there is a build-up of fluid inside cavities in the brain.
There has been plenty of attention and support surrounding Borg’s son and family due to the ongoing medical issues, so much so that former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub offered to pay all of the medical bills for Borg’s son.
The last time Borg fought in the Octagon he lost in a flyweight title fight to former champion Demetrious Johnson who defeated him with a flying-armbar submission in the fifth round of their fight. No word on when Borg will be able to debut at the bantamweight division as he once again announced another surgery for his son, marking the fifth surgery. Ray Borg has created shirts that are for sale to raise awareness about his son’s condition and many in the MMA community have shown their support by purchasing those shirts.
You can listen and watch the full interview between Borg and Helwani here.
